Russia's and CSTO's reaction to border conflict triggers criticism in Armenia

Armenia is unhappy with the reaction of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and Russia to the problem of withdrawing Azerbaijani troops from the border area, and is ready to appeal to the UN Security Council, Nikol Pashinyan, the Acting Prime Minister, has stated. Armenian MPs have also criticized Russia and the CSTO.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on May 12, Azerbaijani militaries advanced deep into the Syunik Region of Armenia and tried to gain a foothold in the Black Lake area. Armenia sent an official statement to the CSTO in connection with the penetration of Azerbaijani militaries into the territory of Armenia.

On May 26, during the government's hour at the parliament, Nikol Pashinyan, the Premier, expressed his dissatisfaction with the positions of Russia and the CSTO on resolving the border problem.

"The CSTO members must present their clear position on the situation, which they have failed to do yet. None of them has stated that Azerbaijan should withdraw its troops from the territory of Armenia," Mr Pashinyan has stated (as translated by the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent).

According to the Premier, the issue of Armenia's appeal to the UN Security Council has always been on the agenda. "Authorities do not exclude that Armenia will follow this way, if it turns out that all the mechanisms of the CSTO or Russia in this situation are insufficient to resolve the problem," Nikol Pashinyan has added.

On May 26, during the parliamentary session, Armenian MPs also criticized the reaction of Russia and the CSTO. They expressed their dissatisfaction with the fulfilment of treaty obligations by Russia and the CSTO in relation to Armenia.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on May 27, 2021 at 06:48 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.